The Mayor's Workplace of Neighborhood Psychological Well being changed ThriveNYC in identify, however did little to assist New York Metropolis's homeless.
Christopher Sadowski
A bloody mass capturing on a packed Brooklyn subway practice by an apparently deranged man is elevating issues over whether or not a rebrand of the embattled de Blasio-era “ThriveNYC” initiative has the management to deal with the town’s rising psychological well being disaster.
In movies posted on social media, alleged subway terrorist Frank James claimed he had a identified psychological sickness and railed towards what he known as the “horror present” of the town’s psychological well being companies.
“Mr. Mayor, I’m a sufferer of your psychological well being program,” James mentioned in a single prolonged clip.
Critics say the sadistic straphanger assault, which unfolded on the N Prepare Tuesday and left 10 shot and one other 19 harm, should function a wake-up name for the town. In addition they say that after greater than three months on the job, Mayor Eric Adams should lastly choose somebody to move the brand new Mayor’s Workplace of Neighborhood Psychological Well being.
Throughout his closing months in workplace, Mayor de Blasio created the OCMH to completely exchange ThriveNYC, which burned by roughly $1.5 billion in taxpayer funds over six years and was broadly criticized for failing to supply measurable outcomes for numerous mentally sick New Yorkers. Then-ThriveNYC director Susan Herman briefly stood on to move the rebranded workplace however resigned in December.
The OCMH is presently headed by co-acting administrators Jason Hansman and Tina Chiu, each de Blasio administration holdovers. Metropolis officers declined to say when a everlasting director could be appointed.
Metropolis Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens), a longtime ThriveNYC critic, mentioned whoever is put answerable for OCMH should concentrate on defending New Yorkers from the damaging mentally sick by relying extra on Kendra’s Legislation, which permits judges to order “assisted outpatient remedy.”
“A doubtlessly violent particular person affected by extreme psychological sickness isn’t going to name a hotline and ask for assist,” Holden mentioned.
The OCMH oversees greater than 20 applications and a $281.5 million finances, which predominantly covers psychological well being companies offered by the Well being Division and different metropolis businesses. It’s an identical setup to Thrive, which final fiscal 12 months oversaw $226.7 million in metropolis spending.
OCMH’s finances is slated to drop to $210.6 million for the brand new fiscal 12 months starting July 1, data present.
Like Thrive, OCMH operates with a workers that fluctuates at round two dozen.
Councilwoman Linda Lee — who heads the committee on psychological well being, disabilities and addictions – mentioned it’s “too early” to criticize OCMH however believes Adams has a “large alternative” to enhance psychological well being companies by hiring the suitable director.
“I believe the rationale why we haven’t seen a lot change is as a result of there’s no chief proper now — no director,” mentioned the Queens Democrat, a former social employee who beforehand ran a nonprofit that assisted the mentally sick.
The Tuesday morning rush-hour capturing on the N practice in Sundown Park is simply the most recent in a string of incidents involving the mentally sick within the transit system. Three months in the past, a homeless man with an extended historical past of psychological sickness shoved Michelle Go, 40, to her loss of life in entrance of an oncoming subway practice in Instances Sq., police mentioned.
Below Adams, the OCMH has elevated among the metropolis’s psychological well being companies and extra are within the works, together with an enlargement of multi-agency Behavioral Well being Emergency Help Response Division — often known as “B-HEARD” — which dispatches groups of EMTs and social staff in response to 911 calls about non-violent, emotionally disturbed individuals.
Former Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera, a pastor, was initially a prime contender to run the OCMH for Adams however was dropped from consideration after intense pushback from the LGBTQ group over previous anti-gay remarks that he not too long ago apologized for.
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